Eagles coach takes championship trophy on tour

The Governor-General Roland Michener Trophy is experiencing a post-season like no other, escaping full hibernation for the first time in its 47-year history.

As one of the National Capital Amateur Football Association’s oldest trophies, the large, silver-covered bowl on top of a three-tiered wood structure normally makes its annual, one-day appearance for the mosquito (ages 11-12) final during championship Sunday in early November.

But for the remaining 364 days of the year, it’s stored out of public view in the home of the winning head coach, waiting for it’s next chilly November assignment.

But not for this post-season.

Jarred Desjardins, head coach of the undefeated, NCAFA mosquito champion Nepean Eagles, decided the players should enjoy the reward of their hard work for more than just a few moments during the on-field celebration.

So Desjardins took it upon himself to taxi the trophy from player to player for one week at a time. He started the process last fall and will continue until mid summer so each of the 36 players can relive the excitement of the 2015 championship season.

Thousands of championships have been won by teams in Ottawa in all kinds of sports over the decades, but it’s extremely rare for a coach to show this kind of commitment and dedication to give every player a value-added gridiron memory.

“It’s quite novel to bring it (trophy) to each player. It’s one of our most impressive trophies,” said Steve Dean, the president of both NCAFA and the Eagles. “I give Jarred credit for giving it to the players for a week at a time.”

Desjardins, 40, has put hundreds of extra kilometres on his vehicle and didn’t ask Dean for permission to shuttle the three-foot wide by two-foot high trophy from one wide-eyed player to the next. While many of the players live in the Nepean and Barrhaven regions, he also has had to venture farther out to Osgoode and Manotick.

Each round-trip takes about an hour and he also often uses that as family time, travelling with his daughter Sophie, who likes to visit the players as well.

“He told me what he was going to do with the trophy and I said: ‘That’s fantastic; it’s a great idea.’ It keeps the kids engaged. I applaud Jarred for his initiative,” Dean added.

After the powerhouse Eagles had won eight straight regular-season games and three playoff games, scoring a total of 525 points for while allowing only 115 points against, including outscoring Myers Riders 52-26 in the final, Desjardins wanted to give his players an ultimate post-season treat. The former youth competitive AAA hockey player from Thunder Bay remembered what the NHL champions did.

When a team wins the Stanley Cup, the club is allotted 100 days for players and personnel to bring home the iconic, silver award for a day of celebration with family and friends. Desjardins took that idea and put his own twist on it to remember his first major football championship as a nine-year coach and the first in mosquito for the 39-year-old Eagles’ organization, which was previously the Barrhaven Redskins and Nepean Redskins.

“As great as it is to win it, they should experience having it and have their pictures taken with it. When they go to school, they can say: ‘I got the trophy at home,’” said Desjardins, who will sit down with each player and his family to talk about the past and upcoming season.

“I tell them when you have it, enjoy it. Not everyone has the opportunity to win a championship. Take all the selfies you want with it. But don’t break it.”

Offensive lineman Liam Matyas showed great respect for the trophy, keeping it at home during his time of glory.

“I treated it like a trophy. I didn’t want to damage it. It seemed old,” he said, adding the trophy held a prominent position in the family’s dining room. “I always tell people we won the championship.”

Unlike the Stanley Cup, which has travelled to war zones, been in parades and featured at family functions, Desjardins hasn’t heard of any off-beat adventures for the Governor-General Roland Michener Trophy.

“Some players have put it in their bed to sleep with it and take selfie (photos) galore from all possible angles,” explained Desjardins, who is preparing to move up a level and be head coach for the peewee (ages 13-14) Eagles in 2016.

“They make little shrines. The parents will clean it and put it on the table in the hall. When they (players) walk by it, they touch it or rub it … and can say ‘Wow, I did that; I was a part of (winning) that.’ I was trying to connect them to how they contributed to it.”

By initiating this unselfish gesture, Desjardins is adding something special to the club’s football culture.

“For me, it’s part of giving them that reward for their hard work. Congratulations. Your hard work did that.”

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